Richard Vander Plaat Archives

Nicholas Felice, former Assembly Speaker Pro-Tempore, dies at 94

August 26, 2021 1:16 pmAugust 27, 2021 8:18 am

Nicholas R. Felice, a likeable and diligent lawmaker who served in the New Jersey State Assembly for nearly 20 years, died on Tuesday. He was 94. A former Assembly Speaker Pro-Tempore, Felice was known for his sponsorship of a law...

Trailblazer: Marion West Higgins

February 9, 2021 12:14 amFebruary 7, 2021 9:10 pm

Marion West Higgins (1915-1991) was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the New Jersey State Assembly. The Bergen County Republican was also the first woman to serve as Assembly Majority Leader, and the first woman to serve as...

Nicholas Corbiscello, former Bergen freeholder, Fort Lee Mayor, dies at 100

July 11, 2020 10:27 pmJuly 11, 2020 10:28 pm

Nicholas A. Corbiscello, a former Bergen County freeholder and a three-term mayor of Fort Lee, died on July 7. He was 100. Corbiscello became involved in politics in 1975 when he ran for a Fort Lee Borough Council seat as...

Cardinale will seek 13th term in N.J. Senate

February 18, 2020 12:01 amFebruary 17, 2020 10:10 pm

State Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Demarest) intends to seek re-election to a 13th term in the New Jersey Senate next year. Cardinale told the New Jersey Globe that while his plans to run again have never been a secret, he will...

No district has gone longer without electing a Democrat than the 40th

September 7, 2019 5:21 pmSeptember 7, 2019 5:50 pm

No legislative district in the state has gone longer without electing a Democrat than the 40th, which includes parts of Bergen, Passaic, Morris and Essex counties. It’s been 54 years since a Democrat won an Assembly seat there, which makes...

Some 1960s Bergen County political history

March 3, 2019 10:22 pmMarch 4, 2019 8:59 am

Until the U.S. Supreme Court’s one-man, one-vote ruling, Bergen County began the 1960’s with one state Senator – Walter Jones (R-Norwood) — and seven Assembly seats. Jones gave up that Senate seat after eight years in 1961 to run for...

Michael Ferrara, former assemblyman, dies at 96

March 3, 2019 5:00 pm

Michael J. Ferrara, who served in the New Jersey State Assembly from 1968 to 1970, died on March 1. He was 96. Ferrara has served National UNICO president and became the Maywood borough attorney in 1955. He was the Maywood...